Unidentified

My name is Emma, my whole life, I have been fascinated by cryptozoological creatures such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. I had not, however, been able to visit the places in which these types of creatures have been sighted. After years of never missing a day at work, I decided to take a small vacation. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to head out and explore the wilderness. That same evening I went online to book a week's stay at a cozy-looking cottage in a small city called Grafton Illinois, enjoyed some warm tea and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

At last, the awaited trip had come, I had packed up and headed out to Grafton, the cottage was not at all what I had expected, but, something about this cottage gave me the creeps. Little did I know that the cabin would be the least of my worries, that night I went straight to sleep. Early the next morning I went out to the dining room for some breakfast. On a round table, there were waffles, scrambled eggs, sausages, and some freshly brewed coffee. Oddly enough, that's not what caught my attention, in the corner of the room was an elderly couple enjoying some waffles with orange juice. As I fixed myself some breakfast, they waved and smiled warmly. It had seemed rather natural to have felt comfortable enough to go sit with them. Although there was something about them that sent a slight shiver down my spine. As I took a seat at the table, I was greeted by the elderly woman who presented herself as Rose and her husband Benjamin. We began chatting as we ate, although there was something from our chat that stood out among the rest. Benjamin had mentioned a book of proof when Rose almost immediately gave his shoulder a slight nudge. “It is a nice day out, why don’t we go check out the farmers market downtown?” Rose said. I had noticed the way Rose suspiciously dismissed the mentioning of this so-called “book of proof” but, I was going to get to the bottom of this and find out what this book of proof is about and what it contains. Because by the looks of it, Rose was secretive about it for a reason. “Are you coming along, dear?” Rose asked. “Oh yes sorry, I got lost in thought there for a second, you guys go ahead, I’ll uh catch up,” I say with a reassuring smile. Rose and Benjamin left for the market I ran up to my room to get my bag and made my way out.

The Market:

The air smelled of sweet and citrus, each stand filled with lively colors and varieties of veggies and fruits. But, even then, there was something that caught my eye among the sea of colors and scents. A woman was sitting on the steps of a rustic-looking cottage, people walked around her as if she was a specter among the crowd. I made my way toward the mysterious-looking woman and said “Hello ma’am quite a nice day out ain’t it?”. The woman gave a confused look “You aren’t from here are you?”

“No ma’am how did ya know?” I asked.

She gave a slight cackle “Because you aren’t avoiding me like all who live here”

“Ma’am and if I may ask, why are you avoided?”

“Let’s just say I know something many don’t believe exists” she said.

“And what might that....? oh uh Rose there you guys are. I just got here, have you found anything yet?”

Rose gives a worried look “You shouldn't talk to her, you may not like what you hear, come let me show you around”

Before I can say anything Rose gently pulls me away from the woman and I can’t help but notice that there is much more to this than I saw at first glance.The warm but, breezy day was spent tasting and shopping at the market surrounded by crowds of people and loud music from a band playing in the center of the market. Later that day I was back in my hotel room enjoying a warm cup of tea while on my laptop searching for some type of clue as to what the “book of proof” could be. Slowly falling into a deep sleep I had a dream that seemed to have given me a clue.

“Of Course how did I not think of this before…maybe the reason why people avoid her is that she speaks of the book. She is avoided because it’s a book that no one has seen in ages and that has not been found. But, there is more to this…people don’t just avoid someone completely just because of a book but, more so for…what it contains??

No no there’s something I’m missing here, but, what is it?

The next morning I set off to find the mysterious woman but, before I even reach for the door I hear footsteps behind me as I hear a voice say “She’s not home and I suggest you leave before she returns?”

The visit:

I turn to look for the voice, and in front of me stands a tall slender man in about his late 20s with a grayish cloak around him.

“I don’t want any trouble, I simply would like to ask her a few questions ah!…”

“ I believe I made it clear that she is not here and that you should leave!” the man growled.

“My apologies um...Mr.”

“Jared the names Jared….now I believe you were leaving” He said

“Jared right...my apologies.”

I left without giving a second thought but, that’s when I felt as if there was something rather off about Jared’s persistence almost as if….the woman was home but inside avoiding me! Although I was curious to find out why the woman was avoiding me, it was getting late and chances were that Jared was not going to let me see her, at least not today. I made my way back to the cabin to get some much-needed sleep, the next morning I awoke to find a note on the floor that had been slid under the door. I slowly got up and grabbed the note which read :

“ Dear woman from the market,

I heard you came to look for me, I am aware that you have met Jared, there is something I believe you should know but, that woman you were with at the carnival, Rose, is not to be trusted….Meet me tonight at

631 Ashton Drive.”

Almost immediately I heard someone knock on the door, it was Rose!.

“ Coming,” I said as I quickly shoved away the note in my bag and opened the door to find Rose holding up a basket of dry fruits.

“Wow it’s lovely, what’s this for?” I asked.

“ Oh, just a little something to show some appreciation! Benjamin and I enjoy your company.”

“Well that’s very thoughtful thank you,” I said,

Rose, Benjamin, and I went out for breakfast but, right after, I was back in my room researching the “Book of Proof” The day went by rather slowly, for the curiosity of knowing what the woman was going to tell, had me staring at the clock tick slowly. I ended up falling asleep and was later woken up by a loud knock right outside my window, I quickly jumped out of bed and stepped away from the window, I grabbed an umbrella and held it up like a bat as I mentally prepared myself to encounter whatever was outside. That’s when I saw it, A person in the shadows with a dark cloak around them, I froze for a second as my mind scanned through every possible explanation for who, why, and how this was happening. In the blink of an eye it was gone, strange enough the only thing that crossed my mind at that very moment was that it was time to go see what the women had to say. I got ready and threw on a warm coat as I made my way out to where she had said to meet her. The night was cold and rather eerie but, there I stood at 631 Ashton Drive in front of an old abandoned mill, after a few minutes I heard footsteps behind me as I heard a woman's voice

say :

“You made it….You really must care to know don’t ya, curious young woman you are, careful hm, curiosity could be dangerous...there now, the reason I asked you to come out here and meet me is well”.

Suddenly the sound of rustling in the background is heard

“Did you bring someone ?” I asked.

“No... I was about to ask you the same question”

Footsteps are heard as a voice says : (Ciara) “Kee-Ra !? is that you?”

By The Old Mine

“Cole! You gave us quite a fright there!”

Ummm I'm sorry to interrupt but, I believe I deserve some type of explanation!

I said as Ki-ra and Cole looked over at me. Upon proper introduction, Ki-ra then explained to me how she and Cole had met long ago in a town not far from Grafton. Cole was a Cryptozoologist from Alaska that had come over to investigate a certain legend within the “Book of Proof”; however the Book of Proof was a mystery all on its own.

“Emma and Cole I know I might sound completely crazy and you both may be skeptical but, Rose is hiding an ancient book of legends”

Okay, so where can we buy one? I can search for one online.

“Emma it’s not the book that we need, it’s what she hid within it that we need to find” I know the Book of Proof sounds very interesting but, Cole, why are you focused on investigating a legend in the Book of Proof and ki-Ra why so secretive while trying to find the book? Seems like you both know more than you let on. With a concerned look, Ki-ra and Cole looked at one another and proceeded with explaining that While Ki-ra was only in search of the book due to it being part of her family within generations, Cole was in search of the book for confirmative information on a legend, a legend about a supposed unidentified creature that lurked around the cabins and that had been seen by the lake at night.

The Creature:

I looked at Ki-ra and Cole with a rather cold and confused expression, stuck between believing them or taking a step back and making my way to the cabin. Curiosity got the best of me, deep down I needed to know who or what this creature was and its origin. There was something about this creature that Rose and Benjamin did not want me to know and I was determined to get to the bottom of this once and for all. The sound of rustling made us jump, a woman emerged from the bushes and she whispered “Rose and Benjamin know that Emma is here we need to go now!”. We all quickly yet quietly made our way through the bushes and over to a small cottage, once inside the slender woman introduced herself as Cole’s sister. There was a loud knock at the door, worried that it was Rose we all hid but that's when we heard it....the loud sound of footsteps surrounding the cabin.Sure enough there it stood looking right back at us, the legend was true and yet we had no idea what we had come face to face with...all I knew was that I had more questions now than I ever did.